Saint John the Baptist emerges from near-total darkness, smiling and pointing up towards heaven. Probably Leonardo's last painting, it takes his sfumato to an extreme, with shadow melting into flesh without a visible edge. The soft, almost androgynous figure, possibly modelled on his pupil Salaì, has struck viewers as both devout and disquietingly sensual.
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A thin reed cross, the saint's attribute, is held in his left hand and almost lost in the shadow. An animal pelt is draped across his shoulder.
Looks like this
Compared by a vision model
